For all you veteran Bills fan...

[buffalo_bills]

Just have a question for all you long time bills fans. By long time im talking like 30-40 years. Anyways, my question is: Has there ever been a lower point to be a bills fan? If yes, when? Just curious. Go bills

[Mike in Syracuse]

Most of the 70's and early 80's!

[The Dean]

Most of the 70's and early 80's!

 

 

No question. The past few years really don't come close, IMO.

[flipjohnson]

I have been a fan since 1986, so at 25 years logged I don't quite qualify by your parameters.

 

The only thing that would make this situation worse is if DJ was still coaching. The ownership is feeble and the talent level is well below average at every position except DBs and RBs. Gailey & Nix are unknown quantities and not yet proven mediocrities like past regimes - that is the only defense I have for some optimism.

[Endless Ike]

No question. The past few years really don't come close, IMO.

 

 

aren't we in the midst of the longest playoff drought in franchise history at 11 years and counting? And we've yet to hit bottom, let alone improve..

 

In fact, by the time we're done, I suspect we'll have doubled the previous longest playoff drought which stood at 7 years.

 

You old timers are living in the past. This is the worst it's ever been, and this year we'll have the record to show for it.

Edited October 1, 2010 by Endless Ike

[Smiley Dear]

The Kay Stephenson and and Hank Bullough years were the most horrendous. In three seasons '84, 85, and 86, the Bills won a wopping 8 games. We haven't sniffed that kind of futility yet.

[flopagamo]

I would say the back-to-back 2-14 seasons were lower than today. Hank Bullough as head coach made everyone in a 500 mile radius of him -- fans, players, media -- absolutely miserable.

 

The year was 1985. Bruce Mathison appeared in 10 games at QB, starting 7 of them, with a record was 1-6. He threw 4 TD passes, and 14 INTs. 8 fumbles / 6 lost. That's 4 TD passes to go with 20 turnovers. And let's not forget Vince Ferragamo: 1-8 as a starter. 5 TD, 17 INTs. These guys make Ryan Fitzpatrick look like Jim Kelly.

 

The defense had a young Bruce Smith & Darryl Talley, plus Charles Romes, Smerlas and Haslett, but not much else. Probably because the D was on the field most of the game, they were blown out numerous times.

 

The 1985 Bills were really, really, really bad.

 

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/1985.htm

[The Dean]

This is the worst it's ever been, and this year we'll have the record to show for it.

 

How old are you?

 

From 1967-1972 (six years for the math-challenged) the Bills never won more than 4 games (these were 12 game seasons to be fair). During that time the Bills won ONE game in two different seasons ('68 and '71). The Bills were the worst team in football during that period.

 

For the past 10 or so years, the Bills have been in a long stretch of mediocrity. They haven't been the worst team in football since the 80's. Even in 2003, when they managed only 3 wins they weren't the worst team in football. In fact the Bills have, for the most part have been flirting with 8-8 for most of the past 10 years. That's solid mediocrity.

 

As for missing the playoffs, yes that has been a drought. But it is a rather arbitrary measure of "terrible". I could just as easily say the Bills missed playing in the Super Bowl from 1967-1990 making THAT the longest streak of futility.

 

I'm not happy with their recent performance. It stinks. But it isn't nearly as putrid as it was "back in the day".

 

You old timers are living in the past. This is the worst it's ever been, and this year we'll have the record to show for it.

 

 

Yes, that line really is as stupid as it sounds. This is about the Bills HISTORY. That IS the past. We old timers KNOW it was worse.

 

I think the Bills will eke out more than 1 win this year.

[Don]

The Kay Stephenson and and Hank Bullough years were the most horrendous. In three seasons '84, 85, and 86, the Bills won a wopping 8 games. We haven't sniffed that kind of futility yet.

 

 

so you would trade 5-7 wins a year and no playoffs for over a decade then suffer 8 wins over 3 years with 4 straight conference wins not more than 4 years later??? strange logic...

[dfluker]

I remember the first live game I went to at the old Rockpile, I believe 1970. The coin toss went in favor of the Cardinals and all of the UB students who were drinking nearby proclaimed that "the Bills had lost the toss so the game was over". The Cards won, btw with Jim Hart at QB. I think the Bills won 2 games that season, ugh!

Edited October 1, 2010 by dfluker

[The Dean]

so you would trade 5-7 wins a year and no playoffs for over a decade then suffer 8 wins over 3 years with 4 straight conference wins not more than 4 years later??? strange logic...

 

 

That was AFTER the bad period of the 80's. We don't know what is in store for the Bills in the future, therefore the strange logic is in your post. If you actually want to be fair, you have to look backward, not forward from past losing periods. I can tell you this:

 

From 1976 through 19887, the Bills had exactly TWO winning seasons.

 

Check it out for yourself. Looking strictly at the regular season records, the current period isn't even the 2nd worst period in Bills' history:

 

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/

Edited October 1, 2010 by The Dean

[BobDVA]

1967 through 1987, only five winning seasons, most of the seasons where the Bills were way worse than what they are this year. Even if they do not win a game, they will be more competitive than most of those teams.

 

67-72 being the worst for me, my father was military, we lived all over, at that time I was in Junior High, and High School, so at times the razzing I was getting from others was unbearable. On the bright side, back then you could punch a bully in his nose.

[crazyDingo]

1967 through 1987, only five winning seasons...

Actually, wouldn't that put their latest ineptitude (2000-2010) about 1.5 winning seasons behind this average? In 20 years they had 5 winning seasons and in the last 10 years they have had 1 (2004, by one game over .500)

 

[LancasterSteve]

The Kay Stephenson and and Hank Bullough years were the most horrendous. In three seasons '84, 85, and 86, the Bills won a wopping 8 games. We haven't sniffed that kind of futility yet.

 

15 loosing seasons in 21 years 1967- 1987; Marv Levy's first full season of coaching the Bills. There has definitely been more bad years than good and have I been in the stands or on the sidelines for many (since 1962) except when I was in the US Navy from 70-76. Here is a breakdown:

 

67 4-10 Joel Collier coach

68 1-12-1 Harvey Johnson friend of Wilson

69 4-10 John Rauch

70 3-10-1 " "

71 1-13 Replay on the Harvey Johnson as coach wannabe

72 4-9-1 Saban took over and for three years after 73 9-5; 74 9-5 & 75 8-6

76 2-12 Jim Ringo

77 3-11 Jim Ringo

in 78 Chuck Knox took over, 5-11 his first season coaching and had a few winning seasons until he left for more money because Wilson wouldn't pay him

Two 2 & 14 seasons in 84 & 85 Kay Stephenson and then the all time scholar Hank Bullough before he was fired half way through the 1986 season and Marv Levy took over coaching

Here is link: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/

[bowery4]

so you would trade 5-7 wins a year and no playoffs for over a decade then suffer 8 wins over 3 years with 4 straight conference wins not more than 4 years later??? strange logic...

 

Really you youngsters haven't even smelled stinky yet. You have no idea how bad my childhood as a Bills fan was. Not to mention my teenage years and pretty much most of my adult life. We have been through so much more than you, you will never understand.

[BillsPhan]

Just have a question for all you long time bills fans. By long time im talking like 30-40 years. Anyways, my question is: Has there ever been a lower point to be a bills fan? If yes, when? Just curious. Go bills

 

Sure there has. I became aware of the Bills as a young kid, but I was too young to remember the AFL Championship years of '64 and '65. My Dad took me to my first Bills game in 1968 against the Jets and Joe Namouth at the old War Memorial Stadium (The REAL "Rock Pile") when I was 9. So that season was the first Bills season I was a real fan. How "lucky" for me to start that year! From 1967 thru 1979, (13 seasons) the Bills had only 3 winning seasons and made the playoffs just once, as the Wild Card in 1974 getting blown out by the Steelers. Later from 1982 thru 1987, (6 seasons) the Bills had no winning seasons and put together two consecutive 2-14 seasons in 1984 & 1985.

 

In my opinion, strictly speaking for my own Bills fan experience of over 40 years now, the lowest point to be a Bills fan would absolutely have been from 1984 thru 1986, before that '86 season started, until the day Bill Polian signed Jim Kelly after the USFL folded up. Following a decent 8-8-0 season in 1983 under first year coach Kay Stephenson, 1984 and 1985 were major paper bag years to be out at Rich Stadium. Imagine having season tickets for an NFL team that lost 7 or it's 8 home games, more often getting blown out then not, for two straight seasons!

 

Now I'll admit, these current Bills have set the all time record for consecutive seasons without making the playoffs, so these past 10 plus seasons are right up there with being the lowest point, but nothing compares to '84 and '85 in my book.

[nucci]

Just have a question for all you long time bills fans. By long time im talking like 30-40 years. Anyways, my question is: Has there ever been a lower point to be a bills fan? If yes, when? Just curious. Go bills

1968, 1971, 1977, 1984-85....I could go on.

[BillsPhan]

...In 20 years they had 5 winning seasons...

 

 

20 years, not counting this season, would be 1990 thru 2009.

1990: 13-3-0

1991: 13-3-0

1992: 11-5-0

1993: 12-4-0

1995: 10-6-0

1996: 10-6-0

1998: 10-6-0

1999: 11-5-0

2004: 9-7-0

 

If my math is correct, that makes 9 winning seasons over 20 years, not 5. Not that 9 winning seasons in 20 years is anything to puff our chests out over, but those 8 winning seasons in 10 years in the 90's sure were!! Of course 1 winning season in the 10 years of the '00's is pure crap, and after the 2000 season, when John Butler and A.J. Smith left for San Diego, Wilson has been "lost in space" ever since.

[Greybeard]

15 loosing seasons in 21 years 1967- 1987; Marv Levy's first full season of coaching the Bills. There has definitely been more bad years than good and have I been in the stands or on the sidelines for many (since 1962) except when I was in the US Navy from 70-76. Here is a breakdown:

 

67 4-10 Joel Collier coach

68 1-12-1 Harvey Johnson friend of Wilson

69 4-10 John Rauch

70 3-10-1 " "

71 1-13 Replay on the Harvey Johnson as coach wannabe

72 4-9-1 Saban took over and for three years after 73 9-5; 74 9-5 & 75 8-6

76 2-12 Jim Ringo

77 3-11 Jim Ringo

in 78 Chuck Knox took over, 5-11 his first season coaching and had a few winning seasons until he left for more money because Wilson wouldn't pay him

Two 2 & 14 seasons in 84 & 85 Kay Stephenson and then the all time scholar Hank Bullough before he was fired half way through the 1986 season and Marv Levy took over coaching

Here is link: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/

 

 

Nice job. I was going to just say all the years between Lou Saban 1 and Lou Saban 2. I still miss the guy. It was a shame he wasn't coach in the 90's. We would have had at least one SB win.

 

Seems like the Bills were top 3 in the draft every year back then.

[tennesseeboy]

Geez there was the season we only won 2 games!!! We had some horrendous horrendous seasons. But on the other hand we had some great seasons. The Kemp/Lamonica championship years, the Ferguson/OJ years and the Kelly/Thomas/Smith/Reed years. Some years are diamonds and some years are stones to paraphrase the old song.